The Gullas and Cuenco congressional contest of 1969

On November 11, 1969, the congressional seat for the 3rd district (then composed of Carcar, Minglanilla, Naga, San Fernando, and Talisay) was a contest between the Nacionalista Party and the Liberal Party. The Nacionalista's (the administration party of President Marcos, elected in 1965) candidate was EDUARDO RIVERA GULLAS, the son of venerated educator and lawyer of Cebu, Don Vicente Arandia Gullas, founder of the Visayan Institute (now University of the Visayas) and young lawyer (admitted to the bar on March 8, 1957) born on October 30, 1930 and graduate of U.V. Bachelor of Laws (Class of 1956) and his pre-law (Bachelor of Arts at the University  of Santo Tomas (1952) and ANTONIO VELOSO CUENCO of the Liberal Party, son of Dr. Manuel  Alesna Cuenco, former governor of Cebu. Antonio, a lawyer (admitted to the bar on January 27, 1961) a graduate of the Ateneo de Manila, was incumbent congressman of the 5th district, having been elected in the 1965 elections.

The third candidate was ERNESTO BASCON, the Liberal Party's candidate of the district in the 1965 election. Ernesto defeated then incumbent Congressman Maximino Noel, Bascon was then incumbent congressman of the district in the 1969 elections. Cuenco was however Serging's (of the Liberal Party) anointed candidate in that election, who was running for the presidency against incumbent President Marcos.

The Board of Canvassers decision of proclaiming Eduardo Gullas winning the election (Gullas: 17,498, Cuenco: 17,482) of a difference of 16 votes, was challenged by Cuenco. The controversy was the votes cast in Precinct 33 of Carcar, where the Board of Election Inspectors failed to put who the 67 votes were for. The BEI made a correction on November 18, 1969 and said that the 67 votes were in favor of Gullas.

Cuenco went to the Supreme Court and filed a petition for prohibition against Court of First Instance Judge Alfredo C. Laya of Branch II and XII. Cuenco was assisted by lawyers from Manila of the law office of Salonga, and Cebu lawyers Pedro Albino, Miguel Enriquez Jr., Democrito Barcenas and his law office on authorizing the acts of the Board of Election Inspectors.

The Supreme Court en banc on December 22, 1969 ruled in favor of Judge Laya and respondents Gullas and the board of election inspectors. Eduardo R. Gullas then assumed the seat and served until 1972 when Congress was abolished by Marcos. Gullas then became governor of Cebu in 1976 up to the 1986 People Power Revolt. Gullas reclaimed the seat (3rd district was converted into the 1st district, with additional composition of Sibonga) in the 1992 elections, where he defeated incumbent congressman Atty. Antonio Bacaltos.

Cuenco on the other hand, became a staunch oppositionist of martial law, imprisoned several times and was elected congressman of the Cebu City 2nd congressional district (Cebu City South District) in the 1987 elections and served until 2010.